Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Three Quick Things

Today's posting has three quick things for you: a peek, a snip, and a ring.

THE PEEK is of a new quilt design I just started this weekend. It came from out of nowhere, but after I did a bit of doodling, pulled some jazzy thread colors, I just couldn't wait to start stitching it up. It's a fun one, I've got to admit! I think I'm gonna call it RED HOT PEPPERS(since it uses Watercolours' 277 - Hot Peppers and besides, the new outer border technique reminds me of chili peppers...I also think I'll include a color option for using oranges, so it could also be stitched as a Halloweeny project and hopefully, I'll have the pattern finished and available in October, but we'll see how it goes!)

THE SNIP is an efficient way to cut your #5 pearl cotton skeins so you can keep the thread inside the paper cuffs and have your skeins stay neat and labeled. In the above photo, see the two loops at the end of each skein? They look like bunny ears to me, and you need to open the loops up, then CUT AT THE TIPS of each loop. All your thread pieces will now be accessible to pull from the OTHER end of the skein without taking off the paper cuffs.

THE RING is a new technique I'm trying with this project. I had all my thread skeins loose in a box, but it occured to me that after I "bunny cut" all my skeins, I could slip them on a single binder ring so they could hang from my floor stand or wherever I happen to be stitching. We'll see how well this technique works to keep all my threads from getting tangled up, falling on the floor, slipping down the sofa cushions, etc., etc., etc... as they usually do as I stitch along.

Anyway, I thought I'd share these little things with you just for fun today. Hope you get to do some stitching!

7 comments:

That pattern is looking really neat, the thought of it in orangy Halloween colors is intriquing. I have a friend who loves anything orange and this looks like it will fill the plan for me and her. Looking forward to the pattern being released.I always wondered how designers work with their threads. My 5's and 3's ALWAYS end up bunched up and I have to untangle when through with a project. Thanks for the hint.Joanie R.

The technique for cutting cotton into lengths is a really good one for solids, or when you know you are going to use a variegated thread just as it comes, but if you are picking particular parts of a colour repeat to use it's better to leave the variegated thread uncut and cut to suit your colour choices.